After a year hiatus and the event’s subsequent move to the fall portion of the Regular Season, A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier returns to the PGA TOUR schedule as the season opener for the first time.
The tournament is the first of a record
11 official events contested in the fall portion of the 2019-20
PGA TOUR Regular Season; the fall includes
the return of this week’s
event at The Greenbrier and the Houston
Open after a season hiatus, new events in the ZOZO
Championship and the Bermuda Championship and, for the first time, the Sanderson Farms Championship is a standalone event.
The 2019-20 PGA TOUR Season marks the 14th season of the
FedExCup and includes the second edition of the Wyndham Rewards Top 10, where
the top 10 players in the FedExCup standings at the conclusion of the Regular
Season earn a share of $10 million, including $2 million for the Regular Season
Champion. In 2018-19, six of the eight fall winners went on to qualify for the
TOUR Championship: Marc Leishman (CIMB Classic), Brooks Koepka (THE CJ CUP @
NINE BRIDGES), Xander Schauffele (WGC-HSBC Champions), Bryson DeChambeau
(Shriners Hospitals for Children Open), Matt Kuchar (Mayakoba Golf Classic) and
Charles Howell III (The RSM Classic). Three of those players finished inside
the top five of the inaugural Wyndham Rewards Top 10 (Koepka/1, Kuchar/3, Schauffele/4).
In 2019-20, the TOUR instituted a new cut rule reducing the number of
players from low 70 and ties to low 65 and
ties.
Presidents Cup hopefuls have until the week of November 4 to impress
Captains Tiger Woods and Ernie Els as four spots remain to complete each
Presidents Cup team roster.
All 21 2019-20 PGA TOUR rookies are in the field; highlights include:
Viktor Hovland who earned his card via the Korn
Ferry Tour Finals; Hovland had four top-25s in five starts as a professional in
2018-19, including a fourth-place finish at the Wyndham Championship
England’s Tom Lewis, who won
the Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing
Scottie Scheffler, who topped both the Korn Ferry Tour Regular Season
Points List and Korn Ferry
Tour Finals Points List
A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier and the FedExCup
All eight winners of A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier have advanced
to the FedExCup Playoffs, with Danny Lee (2015), Xander Schauffele (2017) and Kevin Na (2018) making it all the way to the season-ending TOUR Championship
With his third-place finish in the 2017 FedExCup, Xander Schauffele posted the best finish in the standings by A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier
champion (in the year that he won): Stuart Appleby (52), Scott Stallings (57),
Ted Potter Jr. (93), Jonas Blixt (52), Angel Cabrera (50), Danny Lee (9),
Schauffele (3), Kevin Na (28)
Four players who advanced to the 2019 TOUR Championship are in this
week’s field, led by Bryson DeChambeau (12), Jason Kokrak (14), Sungae Im (19)
and Marc Leishman (24)
A look back at Kevin Na’s win at the 2018 A
Military Tribute at The Greenbrier
Pos.
Player
R1
R2
R3
R4
Total
1
Kevin Na
69
63
65
64
261 (-19)
2
Kelly Kraft
64
63
69
70
266 (-14)
T3
Jason Kokrak
65
64
71
67
267 (-13)
T3
Brandt Snedeker
66
67
70
64
267 (-13)
With his five-stroke victory over Kelly Kraft in 2018, Kevin Na notched the largest margin of victory at A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier, topping two-stroke wins by Jonas Blixt (2013) and Angel Cabrera (2014)
The win was his second of three on TOUR (2011 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, 2018 A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier, 2019 Charles Schwab Challenge) and came at the age of 34 years, 9 months, 23 days in his 370th start
Began final round trailing by one at 13-under 197; following five birdies on his first nine holes (Nos. 4, 5, 6, 8 and 9), made the turn with a four-stroke lead at 18-under par; made additional birdies at Nos. 10 and 16 for a 6-under 64
Became the sixth international winner of the event, joining Stuart Appleby (2010), Jonas Blixt (2013), Angel Cabrera (2014), Danny Lee (2015) and Xander Schauffele (2017)
A glance at the field
Four of the eight past winners: Scott Stallings (2011), Ted Potter Jr.
(2012), Danny Lee (2015), Kevin Na (2018)
Four players who advanced to the 2019 TOUR Championship: Bryson DeChambeau (12),
Jason Kokrak (14), Sungjae
Im (19), Marc Leishman (24)
Seven of the top 50 players in the Official
World Golf Ranking:
Bryson DeChambeau (10),
Marc Leishman (24), Bubba
Watson (25), Kevin Na (34), Keegan Bradley (39), Cameron Smith (45), Byeong Hun
An (48)
Six major winners: Keegan Bradley, John Daly, Jason Dufner, Zach
Johnson, Jimmy Walker and Bubba Watson
Bubba Watson
Greenbrier resident Bubba Watson returns for the sixth time, as he seeks his 13th win on the PGA TOUR and first since the 2018 Travelers Championship
Makes his sixth start at The Greenbrier (T13-2018, T70-2017, T13-2015,
T16-2014, T30-2013)
Has 17 (out of 20) rounds in the 60s at The Old White TPC
One of nine players to advance to the FedExCup Playoffs each season
since the inception of the FedExCup, joining Charley Hoffman, Charles Howell
III, Matt Kuchar, Phil Mickelson, Ryan Moore, Justin Rose, Adam Scott and
Brandt Snedeker
Additional Player Notes
Bryson DeChambeau returns to A Military Tribute
at The Greenbrier for the second time (T14/2017); he comes off a
12th-place finish in the 2019 FedExCup
Sungjae Im will make his first start at
A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier; In his rookie season, he made the cut in
26 of 35 starts last season, with seven top-10 finishes; finished the season
No. 19 in the FedExCup standings
Zach Johnson will make his first start at
A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier; 2018-19 marked the first season on TOUR
he finished outside the top 150 in the FedExCup standings (154)
Marc Leishman finished 24th in the 2019 FedExCup, having
made his third consecutive trip to the TOUR
Championship; makes his sixth start at The Greenbrier, with a T16 in 2010 his
best finish
Stuart Appleby (not in the field due to
injury) closed the inaugural A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier in 2010 with a 59 to record
the last of his nine PGA TOUR victories. Here’s
the list of sub-60 scores
on the PGA TOUR:
Name
Event/Round/Score
Par
Finish
Al Geiberger
1977 FedEx St. Jude Classic/R2/59
72
Won
Chip Beck
1991 Shriners Hospitals for Children
Open/R3/59
72
T3
David Duval
1999 CareerBuilder Challenge/R4/59
72
Won
Paul Goydos
2010 John Deere Classic/R1/59
71
2
Stuart Appleby
2010 A Military Tribute at The
Greenbrier/R4/59
70
Won
Jim Furyk
2013 BMW Championship/R2/59
71
3
Jim Furyk
2016 Travelers Championship/R4/58
70
T5
Justin Thomas
2017 Sony Open in Hawaii/R1/59
70
Won
Adam Hadwin
2017 CareerBuilder Challenge/R3/59
72
2
Brandt Snedeker
2018 Wyndham Championship/R1/59
70
Won
Miscellaneous Notes
Number of players with all four rounds in the 60s at A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier: 2010 (46), 2011 (0), 2012 (14), 2013 (7), 2014 (8), 2015 (22), 2017 (13), 2018 (8)
Out of the 32 rounds played by the previous eight champions of A
Military Tribute at The Greenbrier, the only winner with a round in the 70s is
Scott Stallings in round one (70) in 2011
Largest margin of victory: 5 strokes (Kevin Na/2018)
Best come-from-behind
win in final round: 7 strokes (Stuart Appleby/2010)
Additional
Notes The Old White TPC
The Greenbrier’s original of three courses, the re-named The Old White TPC, will host A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier for the ninth time since 2010. Originally designed by Charles Blair MacDonald in 1914, The Old White TPC has been restored to its original design by Lester George since the inaugural tournament in 2010. In addition to the restoration, the course now measures 7,286 yards, an increase of 255 yards from 2010.
After the flood of 2016, the golf course was closed and completely restored by noted architect Keith Foster. While the routing plan and hole concepts were retained, every green complex was rebuilt. New grasses were introduced to the greens, fairways and bunkers faces, while trees were selectively thinned to reintroduce unbelievable views and sight lines not seen for decades.
Lee Trevino, Tom Watson and Sam Snead have each served as The Greenbrier’s Golf Professional Emeritus
The adjacent Greenbrier Course, built in 1924, renovated by Jack Nicklaus in 1977 and currently being reworked by Phil Mickelson, has hosted several professional golf events over the years, including the 1979 Ryder Cup (the first time players from continental Europe competed in the event, rather than just Great Britain & Ireland; the U.S. won) and the 1994 Solheim Cup (U.S. won). From 1985-87, The Greenbrier hosted a PGA TOUR Champions event, the Greenbrier American Express Championship, won by Don January (1985, ‘86) and Bruce Crampton (‘87).
The Greenbrier Resort
The Greenbrier is an award-winning resort located in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia
As a National Historic Landmark, The Greenbrier’s classic architecture, interior design, scenic beauty and excellent amenities have hosted distinguished guests from around the world since 1778
The Greenbrier offers 721 rooms, guest/estate houses and more than 50 recreational activities, including three golf courses, indoor and outdoor tennis courts and a 40,000-square-foot spa.
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